“Which way now?” asked Sylvie when she drove us away from the Post Office.

I thought for a moment before replying,
“I’m trying to put myself in the shoes of those two idiots and their father. They will have seen the North Carolina plates on this, and will more than likely be thinking that we’ll be heading back there as fast as we can.”

From the experience of the trans people he’d been talking to, at the support group and online, he didn’t think the dysphoria would get much better. Most of the improvement had come in the first few days after he got over the shock of the sudden new body, or in the first few days after he started wearing men’s clothes again.

The following Wednesday was the party at Alan's house. Zoe, Miles, and Avery all carpooled to Alan's house together. When they got there, they were greeted by Alan at the front door. "Hello, friends," said Alan. "We're gonna be in the backyard for the party."

"Okay," said Miles. "This should be fun."